IGN AU's Top AU Game Reviews of 2007

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The cream of the crop revisited and ranked.

By Patrick Kolan and the IGN AU Team

It's a merry old time of year at the IGN AU offices; we're wrapping up our major reviews for the year, looking back and counting our blessings after another rich harvest of game releases. 2007 was a bumper year for all platforms – the PS3 finally has exclusive games like Ratchet and Uncharted that are worth the cost of admission; the Xbox 360 continued to expand its library of excellent shooters while welcoming in more family-oriented titles; the Wii powers on with a mix of fan-favourites, then drops a red and blue M-bomb over the gaming lands.

We've been there to play through all of the major releases of the year and here is our collected ranking of all the top-rated games according to our scores. We haven't gone for a Top 10 list however, since so many overlap. Instead, we've grouped them together into the top five places according to their rating out of ten. Please note – this is not our Game of the Year list – you'll have to wait a little while yet for that controversial sucker, which is comprised of the entire IGN global team's votes. No, this is simply the top ten reviews, based on scores, that the Australian IGN crew wrote over this year-of-our-game, 2007.

What were your top releases of the year? Post your comments and lists below!

"Tools of Destruction isn't particularly progressive in its game design, nor is it particularly difficult, but it's a joy to play nonetheless. There's just so much to collect, so much explosive firepower to wield, and so much charm to the environments and characters that you'd be crazy to let this game pass you by. Don't expect a radically new vision of Ratchet & Clank – this is very much an extension of the series, but it's the most polished and accomplished game in the series to date."

What we think today:

It's a good time for long suffering PS3 owners going into the 2007 festive season. Ratchet and Clank easily sits atop the tree of PS3 titles as the one release that is not only suitable for all ages and tastes but is practically an essential purchase as well. The combination of slick platforming and ridiculous weapons, as well as a flashy engine that'll make your mates coo, is enough to secure this title a firm place in IGN AU's top review scores.

"UT3 is a stunning return to form for this venerable series. By sticking to what it does best – fast, frenetic gameplay lavished with amazing visuals and a wealth of content – it stands out from the pack of realistic military shooters that are all the rage at the moment. The singleplayer is really just a tutorial, but the online experience is one of the shooter highlights of the year."

What we think today:

The UT series is back in full force. Players who long for competitive twitch shooting have had their prayers answered in a game that steers about as far away from the Halos and Call of Duties as it can. It's also incredibly gorgeous and remains a regular time-eater at IGN AU. We think, in fact, it surpasses Quake III Arena in the pure competitive shooting stakes, separating the men from the boys online while remaining compelling and balanced for all players.

"I've already said so much about Forza 2, yet in many regards I'm barely skimming the surface. This is the deepest, most all encompassing driving simulator on the market. Turn 10 absolutely adores the sport of motor racing and car tuning, and every ounce of this love has been wrung into Forza 2. It's a daunting game for novices, but one that demands every racer's attention. The old saying of "The more you put into something, the more you'll get out of it" has never been truer. Put the time into Forza 2 to learn how to drive it well, tweak it well and customise it well, and you'll be rewarded with more satisfaction than a game should be able to provide."

What we think today:

If it's pure automotive simulation you're after, Forza has you covered. It is stupidly deep at times – to the point of being almost anally accurate, but for racing game lovers, Forza 2 is the best in the genre right now. Perhaps it undeservingly flew under the radar while higher profile games took the spotlight, but we haven't forgotten. As Bennett put it just today, 'Goddamn, I need to get back into that game, actually." The fire still burns.

"There's a huge amount to talk about with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, but we've deliberately been a little light on the details because this is a game that's all about discovery and atmosphere and best experienced first hand. The important thing to take away from this review is that Corruption is the finest first person title on the Wii to date, with brilliantly implemented controls, great art design and great gameplay. A worthy new addition to the series."

What we think today:

It's been a great year coming to a close for the Wii. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption takes gameplay traits established in the first two Gamecube titles and ties it to intuitive Wii remote use. The lack of multiplayer does hurt the longevity of the title, but the single-player adventure will stick with you for a long time. Which is good, because this is probably the last we're going to hear from Samus for quite some time, we think. A fitting end to an amazing series.

"There are a few moments where you'll know exactly what needs to be done before you've done it, and experienced players will rarely stumble along the way - Phantom Hourglass never strays too far from the Zelda gameplay canon, after all. But the integration of touch screen elements, some occasional microphone use and loads of entertaining exploration, action and storytelling make this one of the best all-rounder games on the DS. Sterling stuff."

What we think today:

The DS is the gaming warhorse of the current console crop. It gets some of the roughest, nastiest ports as well as the best and most universally clever and well-suited releases of the year. Phantom Hourglass, while finite, left us reeling. It could be argued that it's not as hard as it could be, but it's no cake-walk. It remains hardware-pushingly pretty, clever, epic in scope and thoroughly entertaining. Above all else, it underlines the series' commitment to careful reinvention and fun.

"Skate is an amazing game. It doesn't have the exhaustive trick-list of Tony Hawk, and its focus is resolutely on technical street skating (with a side order of bowls and ramps), which will definitely appeal to some more than others, but the controls, the animations, the physicality of your interaction with the world, the level design, the fact that the challenges are based around skating, not platforming, and a learning curve that just keeps going, leaves this as the newly crowned king of skateboarding videogames."

What we think today:

skate is one of those games that is on in the background so frequently at IGN that it has become something of a gaming staple for us. We feel about skate the way we used to about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on the PSX - it's simply the best skating game on the market right now hands-down.